Sewing machine lubrication



1811- 1963 v. J. PATRICK ETAL SEWING MACHINE LUBRICATION Filed Feb. 10, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS I Vito J. Patrick, and Frederick Rogers- WNZTORNEY' Jan. 30, 5 v. J. PATRICK ETAL V 3,366,034

SEWING MACHINE LUBR ICATION Filed Feb. 10, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS Vito J. Patrick, and Frederick Rogers WITNESS Y Q /0 00 jC/AZECAI3% A TORNEY United States Patent 3,366,084 SEWING MACHINE LUBRICATION Vito J. Patrick, Linden, and Frederick Rogers, Union, NJ, assignors to The Singer Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Feb. 10, 1966, Ser. No. 526,475 Claims. (Cl. 112-256) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to sewing machines and more particularly to devices associated with the lubrication of sewing machines.

It is an object of this invention to provide, in a sewing machine having members lubricated by oil under pressure, means for controlling oil thrown off by the lubricated members.

It is still another object of this invention to provide means for lubricating a portion of the actuating mechanism for a trimmer mechanism associated with the sewing machine.

With the above and additional objects and advantages in view as will hereinafter appear, this invention comprises the devices, combinations, and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings of a preferred embodiment in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view, partially in section, of a sewing machine incorporating the present invention,

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the trimmer blade adjustment mechanism of the present invention,

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 33 of FIG. 1, and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a component of the lubrication system of the present invention.

As illustrated in the drawings, the present invention is embodied in a conventional sewing machine utilizing a system of oil under pressure to lubricate particular parts of the machine. The sewing machine illustrated includes a bed and an overhanging bracket arm 12 that terminates at one end in a head 14 and at its other end merges into the conventional standard (not shown) that rises from the bed 10. A needle-bar 16 carrying a needle 18 at its lower end is journaled for endwise reciprocation in the head 14 in the usual manner. Journaled longitudinally of the bracket arm 12 for rotary movement is an arm shaft 29, one of the bearing bushions for the arm shaft being illustrated at 22. The bearing bushing 22 incudes a head end 23 and a standard end 25. Adjacent the bushing 22 the shaft 25) carries a counterbalanced crank 24 which is connected to the needle-bar 16 in the usual manner, whereby the needle-bar will be reciprocated upon rotation of the arm shaft 20. It is noted that the arm shaft is connected at its opposite end to a suitable source of power and that the needle 18 is adapted to cooperate with suitable loop taker mechanism below the bed 10, whereby the shaft 20 will be rotated to actuate the needle in timed relation with respect to the loop-taker to effect stitch formation, all of which mechanism is conventional and therefore is not shown in the drawings nor described herein.

The trimmer mechanism, indicated in general by the nu- 3,366,084 Patented Jan. 30, 1968 meral 26, is mounted upon a guide pin 28 depending from the head 14. Slidably mounted on the pin 28 is a sleeve 30 that includes in its upper end a notch 32 adapted to be engaged by a spring clip 34 secured to the head 14, whereby the trimmer mechanism is adapted to be retained in an elevated retracted position when it is thrown out of action.

Extending laterally of the sleeve 30 is an arm 36 having a groove 37. An angle bracket 40, shown more clearly in FIG. 2, comprises a horizontal leg 42 having an elongated slot 44 and a second horizontal leg 46 raised from but at right angles to the horizontal leg 42 and including a top face 48 and an underface 50. The groove 37 in arm 36 of sleeve 30 is adapted to receive the leg 42 of the angle bracket 40 and is relnovably and adjustably (across the line-of-feed) secured thereto by a screw 38. A trimmer blade support bracket 52 comprises an upper horizontal leg 54 having an elongated slot 56 and a horizontal groove 58, and a depending vertical leg 64). A trimmer blade 62 is removably and adjustably (vertically) secured to the leg 60 by screws 64, and is adapted to cooperate with a ledger blade 68 carried by the throat plate 70 to sever the work adjacent the point of stitch formation. The cutting edge of the blade 62 is slanted with respect to the ledger blade 68 so that there will be in effect scissors action between them. To effect a proper scissors action between the blades 62 and 68 it is important that the blades are not in parallel alignment but rather that one blade is turned so that the plane of one blade crosses the plane of the other blade. This is accomplished by providing a screw 39 threaded through the leg 42 of the bracket 40. When the screw 39 is turned and moved inwardly the leg 42 will be pushed away from the surface against which it seats, thereby in effect pivoting the leg 42 about the screw 38 and turning the cutting edge of the blade 62 inwardly towards the blade 68. The bracket 52 is removably and adjustably (horizontally in the line-of-feed) secured to the angle bracket 40 by a screw 72, the groove 58 being adapted to receive the horizontal leg 46 between the faces 48 and 50. Thus, by loosening the screw 38, the brackets 40 and 52 and therefore the blade 62 carried by the bracket 52 may be adjusted in a direction across the lineof-feed, and by loosening the screw 72 the bracket 52 and therefore the blade 62 may be adjusted in a direction in the line-of-feed, and finally by loosening the screws 64 the blade 62 may be adjusted in a vertical direction.

Vertical reciprocation is imparted to the cutter blade 62 through a toggle linkage similar to that disclosed and claimed in the United States patent of Graham, No. 2,790,405 and indicated generally by the numeral 74. This linkage comprises a link 76 provided with a hub 78 which embraces a pivot pin 80 threaded into a lateral extension 82 of the sleeve 30. The link 76 at the end opposite from the hub 78, embraces a knuckle-pin 84 secured in the bifurcated end of a link 86 that is pivoted at its opposite end on a stud 88. The links 76 and 86 constitute a toggle which, when in the normal operative position as illustrated in the drawings, is beyond dead center position and locked by a releasable detent (not shown) to form a rigid connection between the stud 88 and the pivot pin 88. To break the toggle connection, there is provided a thumbpiece 90 integral with the hub 78, which can be depressed to release the detent and elevate the trimmer mechanism by moving the link 76, knuckle-pin 84 and link 86 to the other side of its dead center position.

Turning now to the trimmer actuating mechanism, indicated generally by the numeral 92, that drives the trimmer blade 62, a crank 94 including spaced parallel arms 96 and 98 is journaled on a pivot shaft 100 supported between and secured to a pair of bracket ears 162 depending from the underside of the bracket arm 12. The arm 98 of the crank 94 is formed with a split end 104 in which 3 is clamped the stud 88. The arm 96 of the crank 94 is bifurcated at its free end forming an open ended slot that slidingly receives a block 107 formed with a transverse aperture 106 which receives a pin 108 having end portions 110 extending beyond the width of the block 107. The pin 188 is secured to the block 107 by a set screw 112. A crank driving rod 114 is mounted for vertical endwise reciprocation in a bearing bushing 116 secured in a bore 117 in the bottom wall of the bracket arm 12. The rod 114 has formed on its upper and lower end portions a pair of spaced apertured ears 118, the lower ears 118 being journaled on the end portion 110 of the pin 108. The upper ears 118 are journaled on the end portions 120 of a pin 122 secured to the apertured lower end portion of a depending pitman 124 by a set screw 126. The elements of the actuating mechanism 92 underlying the bracket arm 12 are enclosed by a casing 128 removably secured by a screw 130 to a lug 132 depending from the bracket arm 12. The casing 128 is formed with a bottom wall having an upwardly sloped portion 131, a flat lower oil accumulating portion 133, and an opening 129 in the upwardly sloped portion 131.

In order to impart endwise movement to the driving rod 114 it has connected to it the lower end of a pitman 124 which at its upper end terminates in a strap 134 that embraces an eccentric 136 formed with a hub 138 and a flange 140 extending perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the shaft 20. The eccentric 136 is fastened to the arm shaft by a screw 142. When the eccentric 136 is properly positioned axially of the arm shaft 20 the apertured end of the pitman 124 is centered in its bearing bushing 116 with the flange 140 of the eccentric serving as a guide for the pitman strap 134.

To lubricate certain elements in the sewing machine an oil pump, not shown but of standard design, forces oil under pressure through a bore 144 formed in the arm shaft 20, one end of the bore being closed by a plug 146. The front arm shaft bearing bushing 22 is lubricated through a radial duct 148 formed in the shaft 20. The duct 148 delivers oil to the front or head end of the bearing bushing. The shaft 20 is formed with a spiral groove 150 which forces oil back along the bushing and into an oil collecting receptacle 152 secured by screws 154 to that end face of the bushing remote from the head. The arm 20 passes through an opening 156 in the oil collecting receptacle 152 and the opening is ringed by an oil seal 158 fast on the rim encompassing the opening. The oil that is forced under pressure into the oil collecting receptacle 152 is channeled back to the oil pump through an orifice 160 through a conduit 162 having a strap clearance indent 164 (FIG. 4). A small amount of the oil delivered to the duct 148 is picked up by one end of a wick 166 and utilized to lubricate by its other end moving parts (not shown) in the head 14, and another small amount works its way into an oil sling 168 from which it is delivered to a passage 170 in the bushing 22 to a short pipe 171, which passes through the cover 152, and empties into the inner cavity of the bracket arm 12.

The oil that is forced through the bore 144 under relatively high pressure is also delivered to the eccentric 136 and the strap 134 through a duct 172 in the arm shaft 20. Because the oil is under pressure a substantial portion of the oil is constantly spewed out between the engaging surfaces of the eccentric and strap. A substantial portion of such oil would ordinarily stream onto the crank driving rod 114 and into the bearing bushing 116 and quickly work its way down into the casing 128 and then through the opening 129. Thus, it can be understood that under the above described circumstances a steady stream of oil would pour out of the shield down onto the toggle linkage 74 and trimmer mechanism 26 and finally onto the bed 10 and any work material being sewn. This would, of course, present an entirely unsatisfactory working condition for the operator of the sewing machine. To obviate such a condition a disc 174 formed with a centrally located aperture 176 and constructed of plastic or any other suitable material is loosely mounted on the pitman 124 of the strap 134. The pitman passes through the disc aperture 176 but the aperture is formed to leave a small predetermined space between the pitman and the disc. The disc diverts the bulk of the sprayed oil from the bearing bushing 116 but the space between the pitman and the disc permits a small predetermined amount of oil to reach the bearing bushing 116 and lubricate the same. Thus, the disc 174 acts as both a metering device for the oil used to lubricate the bearing bushing 116 and also as an umbrella to prevent an undesirably large stream of oil from pouring down onto the surface of the bed 10. The operator must periodically remove the casing 128 to lubricate the actuating mechanism 92 and at these times the operator may wipe off the small amount of oil that accumulates on the portion 133 of the casing.

Having thus set forth the nature of this invention, what we claim herein is:

1. In a sewing machine having a frame including a hollow bracket arm formed at one end with a head, said bracket arm comprising a bottom wall having an opening formed therein, a first bearing bushing mounted in said opening, a second bearing bushing mounted within said bracket arm near the head end of said bracket arm, a rotary arm shaft journaled in said second bearing bushing, trimmer mechanism operatively mounted beneath said bracket arm, means for actuating said trimmer mechanism including a rod mounted in said first bearing bushing for endwise reciprocation and means connected to said rotary arm shaft for driving said rod, means for directing oil under pressure to said hollow bracket arm, means for delivering a portion of said oil into the interior of said hollow bracket arm above said rod, and means mounted above said rod for limiting the amount of delivered oil that reaches said rod and preventing an undesirable amount of the oil from passing through the hearing in which the rod is journaled.

2. A sewing machine as set forth in claim 1 in which said means for driving said rod comprises a member hav ing a depending leg connected at one end to said rod and said means for limiting the amount of delivered oil that reaches said rod comprises a substantially fiat oil shield loosely mounted on said depending arm above said rod.

3. A sewing machine as set forth in claim 1 in which said second bearing bushing includes a head end and a standard end, means for delivering oil under pressure to said second bearing bushing, said second bearing bushing being provided at its head end with means for controlling the flow of the pressurized oil that escapes from said second bearing bushing at the head end, means for directing the remainder of the pressurized oil delivered to said second bearing bushing along said rotary shaft in a direction toward said standard end, means connected to the standard end of the second bearing bushing for channeling said remainder of pressurized oil, said last named means including an apertured oil collecting receptacle mounted to enclose the end face of said second bearing bushing at the standard end of said second bearing bushing and an oil conduit in fluid communication with said apertured oil collecting receptacle.

4. In a sewing machine having a frame including a hollow bracket arm terminating in a head, a bearing bushing mounted within said hollow bracket arm at the junction of said head, said bearing bushing having a head end and a standard end, a rotary shaft journaled in said bearing bushing, means for delivering oil under pressure to said bearing bushing, said bearing bushing being provided at its head end with means for controlling the how of the pressurized oil that escapes from said bearing bushing at the headend, means for directing the remainder of the pressurized oil delivered to said bearing bushing along said rotary shaft in a direction toward said standard end,

means connected to'the standard end of the bearing bushing for channeling said remainder of pressurized oil, said last named means including an apertured oil collecting receptacle mounted to enclose the end face of said bearing bushing at the standard end of said bearing bushing and an oil discharge conduit in fluid communication with said apertured oil collecting receptacle.

5. In a sewing machine having a frame including a hollow bracket arm formed at one end with a head, said bracket arm comprising a bottom wall having an opening formed therein, a first bearing bushing mounted in said opening, a second bearing bushing mounted within said hollow bracket arm, a rotary arm shaft journaled in said second bearing bushing, a member driven by said rotary arm shaft in endwise reciprocation in said first bearing bushing, means for directing oil under pressure to said hollow bracket arm, an oil shield, a portion of said oil being delivered into the interior of said hollow bracket arm above said oil shield, said oil shield having an aperture formed therein, means for mounting said oil shield Within said bracket arm above said driven member and in substantial vertical alignment with said driven member, said aperture being vertically aligned with said driven member whereby said oil shield intercepts and diverts part of the delivered oil from the driven member While said oil shield aperture permits a predetermined part of the oil intercepted by the oil shield to reach and thereby lubricate the driven member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,619,061 11/1952 Ritter et a1. 1l2-256 3,060,877 10/1962 Ketterer 112-256 JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner. G. H. KRIZMANICH, Assistant Examiner. 

